“Get in the car!” Lou Ye lifted his chin slightly. “No time like the present—let me treat you to a meal!”
She wanted to say no. She even tried to think of an excuse to politely refuse. But Lou Ye’s Ferrari was parked squarely in the bus-only zone.
Nearby, passengers on the platform kept glancing back at them. Just a dozen meters away, the approaching bus honked impatiently, urging them to move.
Knowing Lou Ye’s temperament, once he decided something, there was no changing it. If she kept resisting, it would only draw more eyes to her.
After a brief hesitation, Sang Wan lowered her head and slipped into the passenger seat.
Vroom! The Ferrari glided smoothly forward. The door closed with a soft click.
“Is Juju doing okay? No accidents—no messes? Hasn’t caused you trouble, right?”
“Juju? Oh, you mean 2S? If only you’d told me earlier its name was Juju, I wouldn’t have bothered giving it another one. I ended up training it until midnight yesterday!”
“2S? What kind of name is that?”
“Four legs running that fast—besides my car, it’s the only one. My car came from a 4S dealership, so naturally, it’s 2S.”
“…”
The restaurant was a quiet, tucked-away private kitchen. As soon as the door to the private room closed, Sang Wan finally let out a sigh of relief.
“You…”
“You…”
They spoke at the same time.
Lou Ye broke into a smile. “You first.”
Sang Wan took a sip of tea to steady the odd flutter in her chest. “Were you just passing by there?”
“Of course.” Lou Ye chuckled. “Isn’t the whole point of building a company big and strong so the boss can eat and loaf around? If I had to punch in nine to five, Lou Corp would be halfway to bankruptcy.”
He was joking. If Lou Corp ever collapsed, the economy itself would be on the brink. That strange sense of déjà vu about their repeated encounters pressed heavier on Sang Wan’s mind.
Then Lou Ye asked, “And you? How did the interview go?”
“How did you know I was there for an interview?” Sang Wan frowned in suspicion.
Lou Ye lifted the clay teapot and refilled her cup, amusement written all over his face. “What else? You went to Dingli for afternoon tea?”
Well, that was true. Realizing she was being overly guarded, Sang Wan admitted honestly, “It was such a coincidence. I just worry I’ll end up owing you another favor.”
Exactly as he expected, he felt a flicker of satisfaction, though none of it showed on his face.
Lou Ye only smiled helplessly. “Senior, you underestimate me! If I really wanted to help, like I said yesterday, I’d just place you straight into Lou Corp’s project department as a senior architect. Why bother with all this roundabout nonsense?”
She had to concede the point. Her heart lightened, and Sang Wan laughed. “Why senior architect and not director? Or do you think I’m not cut out to be a design director?”
“Because that’s not where your ambitions lie.” Lou Ye’s smile was casual, almost careless.
Sang Wan froze, her heartbeat suddenly racing.
When she joined Lu Corp, Lu Jinnian was deputy project director, while she was merely a junior architect. She had once teased him: was it because her mother‑in‑law still couldn’t accept her that he favored her so unequally?
Back then, what did Lu Jinnian say? He said: “Wanwan, don’t be ridiculous! Yes, you were an outstanding graduate of Imperial University, but that excellence is only on paper. How could you possibly manage people?”
He also said: “Wanwan, don’t worry! I’m on your side. If you work hard, one day you’ll become an executive at Lu Corp.” Yet the truth was, they had graduated together and started working together. He hadn’t completed any architectural projects either.
Sang Wan would rather he had simply admitted that Su Baohui refused to accept her— that would have been easier to bear than dismissing her ability and qualifications. After all, she had never aspired to be a director. Her passion lived in the blueprints.
To design a building that perfectly met the client’s demands, to watch her drawings rise from paper into towering structures— that was her greatest dream in life. Senior architect, director, even CEO—it didn’t matter. As long as she could realize her dream, she would gladly spend her whole life as an architect. And in this moment, Lou Ye said without hesitation: her ambitions lay elsewhere. He understood her.
Lowering her head to hide the faint stir of emotion, Sang Wan let her gaze fall on the menu.
Her phone rang brightly.
“Hello, Sang Wan? This is Cheng Jingran from Lou Corp’s architectural project department…”
The woman’s voice was clear and cheerful, straight to the point: “I saw your résumé online. May I ask, when would you be available to come in for an interview?”
For a moment, Sang Wan was stunned. She was certain she had never submitted her résumé to Lou Corp. There was only one reason for that—Lou Ye. Yet here she was, receiving an interview call from Lou Corp.
“Director Cheng…” Sang Wan glanced at Lou Ye across the table, who was still bent over the menu, and said softly, “I never applied to Lou Corp.”
Lou Ye’s head snapped up. She clearly saw the surprise in his eyes.
On the phone, Cheng Jingran laughed lightly. “Then I’ll be direct, Senior Sang. I’m from Imperial University’s architecture department. In our very first design class in 2016, Professor Wu showed us an outstanding graduate project on the PPT—it was your *Cloud Sea Library*.”
“Senior Sang, back in school you were both our goddess and our lingering nightmare. It’s an honor, after all these years, to have the chance to work with you. The only question is, will you give me that chance?”
She was the job seeker, and Cheng Jingran held the power of decision. Yet her emotional intelligence was remarkable—her words made it sound as though the choice lay entirely in Sang Wan’s hands.
Part of Sang Wan felt it was a coincidence, just as Cheng Jingran said: they were alumnae, senior and junior, and naturally one would lean toward helping her own. But another part worried Lou Ye had something to do with it.
After a moment’s thought, Sang Wan said, “Let me consider it, all right?”
“Of course.” Cheng Jingran agreed readily. “Senior, may I add you on WeChat?”
“I’ll add you. Is this the same number you called from?”
“Yes.”
They hung up. She added her on WeChat.
Before Sang Wan could even finish editing the contact note, Cheng Jingran had already sent two quick messages:
【Hello, Senior Sang, this is Cheng Jingran.】
【Once you’ve decided, please let me know—I’ll be waiting for your good news!】
“Lou Ye, was this your doing?” she asked directly.
“If I say no, will you believe me?” Lou Ye’s gaze was steady, utterly calm as he looked at her.
Sang Wan fell silent. She did believe him, but she couldn’t explain where that trust came from. Still—it was all too coincidental.
His sudden appearance during yesterday’s downpour. Then their chance encounter just now. And now Cheng Jingran’s interview call. Too coincidental to believe it was all chance.
Seeing her hesitation, Lou Ye pushed aside the menu, leaned back against the sofa, his smile lazy. “Professional matters should be left to professionals. Lou Corp is huge—hiring an architect is the job of the design and HR departments. I’m not so senile that I’d meddle in something that trivial.”
“And besides…” He leaned forward, folding his arms on the table, his strikingly handsome face suddenly close, his presence overwhelming. “If I really wanted to arrange something, wouldn’t I just parachute you straight into the design department as a senior architect? Why go to all this trouble for an interview with an uncertain outcome?”
It did sound reasonable. Sang Wan found herself half‑convinced.
Lou Ye’s eyes glimmered with amusement. “Senior, have you decided? Will you accept Lou Corp’s olive branch?”
“It’s just an interview…”
Her heart leaped, as if she could already feel Cheng Jingran’s handshake, hear her say, ‘Welcome to Lou Corp.’
But outwardly, Sang Wan still hesitated. “I’m not sure yet.”
Lou Ye’s tone shifted.
“Sang Wan…” By the bright floor‑to‑ceiling window, the young man in a black shirt and suit wore a wild, dazzling smile, his gaze bold and unrestrained. “What are you afraid of?”